Getting Around Spain

Visitors to Spain can travel by train with Renfe or its private rivals, by intercity bus with companies such as ALSA and Avanza, by domestic flight to the islands, by ferry to the Balearic and Canary Islands, or by rental car. Trains suit travel between mainland cities. Buses fill gaps where rail is sparse or slow. Planes and ferries reach the islands, and a car suits rural areas and the coast.

Prices, discounts, and timetables in Spain change often. The figures below are current as of October 2026. Each one links to the page where you should recheck it before booking.

Which Mode Fits Which Trip

Travelers usually plan rail first, then buses, flights, ferries, and cars, and each option below follows that order.

High-Speed and Regional Trains

Renfe, the national rail operator, sells tickets for AVE, its high-speed service, and Avlo, the low-cost version of AVE. It also sells Alvia, Avant and Media Distancia tickets. Avant is a faster regional service, and Media Distancia is the medium-distance regional service. Competition arrived on the high-speed lines when Ouigo España launched in 2021 and Iryo in 2022, which ended Renfe’s monopoly on domestic passenger services. Route lists and fares for Ouigo and Iryo change by season, so compare them against Renfe on their own sites for the specific corridor and date you want.

For a trip between two large mainland cities, compare AVE and Avlo with Iryo and Ouigo on the same date, since the low-cost brands trade amenities and flexibility for lower fares. For shorter regional hops, Media Distancia and Avant fill the space between high-speed trains and local commuter service. Cercanías, the commuter rail network around major cities (called Rodalies in Catalonia), handles trips between a city and its suburbs, including airport and beach-town runs in many regions.

Renfe’s homepage advertises a fixed 5 euro fare for children under 14 and fares from 7 euros for adults. Confirm both figures on renfe.com for your route before booking. Children under 14 must travel with an adult on AVE, Long-Distance and Avant trains, or use the unaccompanied-minors service where it is offered. Groups of 4 to 9 people get 8% off, and groups of 10 to 25 buy through a dedicated group channel.

Rail Passes and Discounts

Most of the rail discounts are aimed at people who ride often, which matters for a long stay in one region more than for a two-week itinerary.

• Cercanías monthly pass: costs a fixed 20 euros for one month, according to the Ministry of Transport. It is valid across all zones of each Cercanías network and is nominative (issued to one named person).
• Media Distancia 10-trip pass: 40% off, valid for one year and only for the origin and destination pair you buy. Check the live price on renfe.com rather than calculating the saving yourself.
• Media Distancia monthly pass: 40% off, valid for one month, with round-trip titles excluded.
• Avant passes (Abono 10-30 and Pase Vía): 50% off for travel from 1 January to 31 December 2026. Renfe says the pass can give 50% off AVE and Long-Distance trains on public service obligation (OSP) routes, which are routes the state subsidizes. On those routes it secures only Standard-class seats.
• Castilla y León: Renfe says the regional government funds an extra 25% of the fare on certain Avant services.
• Narrow-gauge (ancho métrico) round trips: 20% off for two trips, with the same change and cancellation rules as conventional Media Distancia. The Renfe page describing this is old, so check it before relying on it.

The Verano Joven summer youth discount for ages 18 to 30 ran from 1 July to 30 September 2026 and has ended. It cannot be used for autumn travel. Check renfe.com for any new youth offer before assuming one exists.

Booking Renfe Tickets

Media Distancia and Avant tickets are personalized. The buyer must give the traveler’s basic details, including a mobile number, at every sales channel, so have each passenger’s name and number ready before you start checkout. Renfe’s homepage says it charges no commission fees. Buy on renfe.com or at a station, and compare Iryo and Ouigo directly on their own sites, since Renfe does not sell their tickets.

Intercity Buses

ALSA, founded in 1923 in Luarca, Asturias, calls itself Spain’s largest bus operator. It runs regional, national and airport routes, including to Madrid-Barajas and Barcelona-El Prat, according to Kombo’s ALSA listing. Avanza, which runs both urban and interurban services, has been owned by the Mexican group ADO since 2013, as Reserbus notes.

Buses are often the cheapest way to cover a mainland corridor, though not always the fastest. Omio’s ALSA page lists one-way "from" fares on a few routes: Bilbao to San Sebastián from €8 in 1h10, Bilbao to Madrid from €13 in 3h05, Málaga to Granada from €11 in 1h30 (ALSA only), and Barcelona to Valencia from €15 in 2h33. A "from" fare is the lowest price on offer for some date, so the fare you see for your own travel date will often be higher. Omio’s Avanza listings give Segovia to Madrid from €7 in 1h20 with 35 buses a day, Málaga to Estepona from €12, Málaga Airport to Marbella from €8 and Málaga to Marbella from €9. The Málaga coast and Segovia are good examples of places where a bus does the job a train does elsewhere.

ALSA tickets sell on alsa.es by card, PayPal or Bizum (a Spanish mobile payment app), in the ALSA app, at station counters, at authorized sales points and at self-service machines. Tickets show on a smartphone, so printing is not required. Some platforms, including Movelia, email domestic tickets within seconds and let you show the locator code instead of a printout. According to Kombo, ALSA’s lowest fare allows no changes or cancellations, and a slightly higher reduced fare allows changes to date, time or seat, subject to availability, but still no cancellations. If your plans are not fixed, pay the difference.

Luggage allowances differ by operator and fare, so read the conditions on the operator’s own site for the exact bus before you pack. The same goes for refunds. If you book a combined trip on two carriers through a platform, ask what happens to the second ticket if the first bus is late, and read the platform’s policy before paying.

Flights to the Islands

For the Canary and Balearic Islands, Ceuta and Melilla, flights are the quickest option from the mainland, and several airlines also operate between islands. Binter is the main inter-island carrier in the Canaries, and Iberia and Vueling serve island routes from the peninsula.

Real Decreto 1316/2001 sets a resident discount on regular domestic flights for people registered in the Canaries, Balearics, Ceuta and Melilla. It gives 75% off the eligible fare and is capped at 75% of the basic fare on each airline’s route. Residents must be registered with a municipality (empadronamiento) in the eligible territory and show a DNI or NIE (Spanish national or foreigner ID) that matches the booking. Vueling asks for a "Certificado de residencia para viajes" from the town council. Ceuta residents receive the discount only on flights to or from Málaga, Jerez or Sevilla. A connection counts as a direct trip when the stops total no more than 12 hours, and any leg outside Spain removes the discount for the whole ticket.

Visitors who are not registered residents pay regular fares. Compare airlines directly and watch the baggage line, because the cheapest fare often includes only hand luggage.

Binter’s tariff page gives hand baggage at 8 kg, two checked bags of up to 23 kg each on FlexiPlus, one bag of up to 23 kg on Plus, and 60 euros for an extra checked bag. Check the live tariff on Binter’s site before booking, since baggage allowances differ by fare. IATA recommends cabin bags of 55 x 35 x 20 cm, but the airline’s own limit applies at the gate.

Ferries to the Balearic Islands

Balearic ferries carry both foot passengers and cars, which makes them the usual choice for a trip with a vehicle. Direct Ferries lists Trasmed GLE, Balearia, Grandi Navi Veloci (GNV) and Menorca Lines as operators, with cars carried on several of them plus Corsica Ferries, Trasmapi and Formentera Lines. Baleària sails to the islands from Dénia, Valencia and Barcelona.

Sailing times depend heavily on the route and the type of vessel. Direct Ferries lists Menorca Lines at about 1h15, Balearia at about 3h52, Trasmed GLE at about 6h22 and GNV at about 8h30 on the routes it covers. On Palma to Ibiza, Balearia takes about 2h15, with 8 weekly sailings, and Trasmed GLE takes about 3h44, with 1 weekly sailing. Choose by crossing time and sailing frequency first, because a slow ferry with one weekly departure limits your options.

Balearia’s help center says residents of the Balearics, Ceuta, Melilla or the Canaries get 75% off, and Formentera residents get 89% on Ibiza to Formentera. The discount applies only where the route’s origin or destination matches the passenger’s place of residence, and it covers the passenger fare, not the vehicle. Visitors pay full fares. Book online through operator sites or aggregators such as Direct Ferries and Ferryhopper, which compare operators by time. Check each operator for vehicle size limits, check-in deadlines and cancellation rules before you book a car crossing.

Ferries in the Canary Islands

Fred. Olsen Express lists Gran Canaria to Tenerife, Gran Canaria to Fuerteventura, Tenerife to La Gomera and a Huelva service. Tenerife to La Gomera takes about 50 minutes and Tenerife to La Palma about 150 minutes, while the Las Palmas or Gran Canaria to Huelva crossing to the mainland takes 33 or 40 hours. Naviera Armas also operates in the Canaries. Ownership and brand names among the Canary operators are changing, so confirm the current operator for your route on the booking site.

Fred. Olsen’s site has options for buying tickets, viewing schedules and rates, and group reservations. Its "from" prices are for a Canary resident traveling one way in normal accommodation at the supermini (small car) rate, which means a visitor’s fare will be higher. Vehicles, passengers and pets can be added during online purchase where the route allows. The 75% Canary resident discount applies to passengers only.

Renting a Car

A car rental suits regions where buses and trains are thin. The requirements below are set by rental companies, not by one national rule, so confirm them with the company you choose.

Age and licence. Most companies require drivers to be 21 or older at pickup and to have held a licence for at least one year, according to the Avis requirements FAQ. Avis applies a surcharge for drivers under 25, and its young-driver page covers the 21 to 24 range. Trovcar reports a surcharge of 10 to 30 euros a day for under-25 drivers at traditional companies. Some companies and peer-to-peer platforms rent from 18, with higher surcharges and vehicle restrictions, and premium cars may require 25 or older. Licence-age requirements range from one to three years depending on the company. There is no legal upper age limit, but some companies restrict renters aged 65 to 70 or older or ask for a medical certificate, according to Wikidriver.

Documents and payment. Avis requires the original, valid licence and does not accept digital licences. Bring a passport or national ID alongside the licence, since one rental guide says a passport alone is not enough. Drivers from outside the EU should ask the rental company before pickup whether an international driving permit is required. Traditional companies take a deposit as a temporary hold on a credit card in the main driver’s name, released on return if the car is undamaged. Debit cards are sometimes accepted by peer-to-peer rental platforms.

Insurance. Third-party liability is included in the rental. The excess (franquicia) is the most you pay for damage, and it is agreed with the company. Compare the excess and optional cover in the rental terms before pickup, since the amounts vary by company.

City driving. Many Spanish cities restrict vehicle access in low-emission zones (ZBE), and each municipality sets its own rules. Before driving a rental car into a city center, check the city’s official ZBE page and the Spanish traffic authority (DGT) environmental label rules, and ask the rental company how its car is labeled.

What to Check Before You Book

• Match the mode to the trip: use high-speed trains between big mainland cities and buses where rail is thin. Take flights or ferries to the islands, and a car for rural and coastal areas.
• Check discount dates: the Avant 50% discount runs only to 31 December 2026, and Verano Joven ended on 30 September 2026.
• Expect to pay regular fares on islands: the 75% resident discounts on flights and ferries require registration in the eligible territory, so visitors should budget for standard fares.
• Have passenger details ready: Media Distancia and Avant tickets require each traveler’s details and a mobile number at checkout.
• Confirm rental terms before pickup: the age minimum is commonly 21, and drivers under 25 pay a surcharge. The usual deposit method is a credit card in the driver’s name. Check city low-emission zone rules before driving into a center.